Deep – Open Water

Fear, sarcasm and imagining worst-case scenarios can be the responses when we feel our backs are against the proverbial wall. We can have our backs against the wall vocationally, relationally or physically. In those times, we need to follow three biblical mandates: fear not, stand firm and expect God to help. The Israelites learned this when they found themselves up against the Red Sea with the Egyptians bearing down on them with the intent to re-enslave them. God opened the seas for the Israelites and He desires to do the same for you.

VersesThen Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. Exodus 14:21-22

ThoughtHave you ever uttered any of these phrases: “behind the eight ball,” “in a squeeze,” “up a creek without a paddle,” “between a rock and a hard place.” No matter how you say it there’s no tougher spot to be in than to be faced with a situation where there seems to be no human help or answer. There’s another expression that many people have used when facing some tough situation without knowing where to turn: “my back is against the wall.” Thousands of years ago, over one million Israelites had their backs against the wall and were looking for divine intervention in their predicament. God showed up and taught His people some lessons that they would remember forever. He also pulled off one of the greatest miracles in the whole Bible when He opened the seas for His people.

QuestionsWhat is the first thing you usually do when you feel like your back is against the wall? Why is it easy to get trapped in the blame game in those situations? When your back is against the wall, does your thinking ever drift to “worse case” scenarios? How hard is it for you to stand still and wait for God when you’re in one of these predicaments? How would you defend this statement: When your back is against the wall, what you really believe about God is revealed.

ResponseThe next time you find your back against the wall make the decision to follow the plan Moses laid out to the Israelites at the Red Sea: fear not, stand firm and expect God to help you.

PrayerDear Heavenly Father, sometimes I find my back against the wall. When that happens, I can forget that you have a plan that will always help me. Please give me the strength and courage to follow that plan and not my own so I can be victorious in all things. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.